as fleeting as a flower
by Seito
Summary: Toshinori loved plants. They were there for him when others were not. "Someone once told me that if your plants are dying even when you are caring for them correctly, it means they're absorbing curses and hurts caused by your enemies. Perhaps they're the reason why your injuries didn't kill you."


For **athanatosora**.

* * *

Toshinori loved plants. Plants didn't hurt you when you cared for them properly. They didn't hurl mean insults, didn't leave because you were worthless, useless, _Quirkless._ His grandmother loved plants, loved the brightly colored flowers, the cool shade under a tree, the sweet scent of lavender and the twisting of vines.

(More importantly, she loved him for him and not like his parents who didn't want anything to do with a Quirkless child. Not like the children who teased him for his awkward limbs and looming height.)

He grew up surrounded by plants. His grandmother kept them in the apartment, in every nook and cranny. They spilled out onto their cramped balcony, soaking up the warm sun. Toshinori tripped over them at night, carefully putting them back up and apologizing them. Vines crept along his headboard, a small pot of rosemary on his desk. Without fail, he always managed to hit the hanging pot of oregano as he entered the bathroom.

It was cramped and tiny everywhere, but it was home. He loved it here.

-.-.-.-

Looking back, he lost her too soon. He was halfway through class, mindlessly listening to the teacher drone on and on when he was called out to the staff office. Then he was thirteen going on fourteen, and the police were sitting there telling him how she had been at the wrong place at the wrong time and was caught in the crossfire. There was a Pro-Hero, a woman, Nana, delivering his grandmother's last words to him.

"I love you, Toshinori," Nana repeated his grandmother's last words to him. She rested a hand on his shoulder, grief and concern on her face. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Teach me," Toshinori said. He didn't want to feel like this again. He didn't want anyone to feel like this. No one deserved it. No one deserved to hear that their loved one was too slow to escape a villain attack. Crime always ran rampant in their city; so dangerous to go walking out alone. He would fix that.

"That's your grief talking," Nana said gently.

It wasn't. He approached her every day until she finally agreed to teach him.

(Three days after the funeral, he discovered his grandmother's favorite lavender plant had died.)

-.-.-.-

Life got busy after that. Toshinori lost Nana, so soon after his grandmother, gained Gran Torino as a teacher and mentor, graduated from school, became a Pro-Hero, all the while learning to control the precious gift Nana had bestowed upon him.

He set out to become a pillar of peace for everyone. A pillar the same way his grandmother had been for him.

Crime fell, Sensei withdrew further into the shadows, and slowly there was a calm, a happiness. Smiles on people's face. Less worries and fears. It was a good time to be alive.

His popularity skyrocketed and for once Toshinori felt isolated in a different way. Isolation wasn't anything new. He didn't exactly have friends. No one wanted to be friends with a Quirkless nobody. Later he had been so focused on becoming a hero, the loose acquaintances he made at school had fallen apart.

But there were still plants. His private office was covered in them. So was his home, cramped in every nook and cranny like usual. It became his stress reliever, the way he calmed down after a long day of work. Carefully watering each one, clipping away dead leaves and removing weeds. It was rewarding to see the life he nurtured grow a little bit more each day.

-.-.-.-

"I wonder what's wrong?" Toshinori muttered to himself. He mourned the loss of his sunflower that had been thriving until yesterday.

He winced, feeling the dull pain in his shoulder flare up. Yesterday's fight had been a little too much and both Recovery Girl and Gran Torino both threatened to tie him up if he didn't take a week off to rest. He had been lucky that his only injury was his shoulder. A few more centimeters to the left and it would have hit his heart.

So he took the time to tend to his plants, rarely having a full day to pay attention to them. His long hours and injuries meant more than often he would return home to find a few of his plants dead. Toshinori refused to give up the hobby though. Instead he would always bring home a new plant after a long job.

But his sunflower… that one Toshinori knew had been healthy the day before yesterday. There was no explanation for a sudden downward swing.

He frowned. Perhaps it was time to just switch out all the soil and clean the house. Maybe open some windows and clear out some dust. Perhaps there was something in the air and Toshinori hadn't been home long enough to realize it. He didn't want to lose all his plants.

-.-.-.-

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Toshinori berated himself over and over again. Machines beeped quietly, a white ceiling staring down at him. Pain ran rampant over his body, the white bandages itchy. He had been so close.

"Stop blaming yourself," Gran Torino said, taking a seat at Toshinori's bedside.

"But."

"Kid, stop blaming yourself," Gran said. "You got Sensei good too. Even if the bastard survived, he's in no position to do anything. Just focus on recovering."

"The doctors said I'm lucky to be alive," Toshinori said bitterly. He would have to consider finding a successor at this point too. He would never get back to 100 percent.

"Of all the close calls you had, this was the closest," Gran said. "By the way…"

Toshinori looked at his mentor. Gran looked remorseful, hesitating. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"You asked me to take care of your plants since you're stuck here until further notice," Gran said. "I stopped by your house and your office before coming here. They're all dead. I'm sorry. I know how much you love taking care of them."

"Oh," Toshinori said. That… that didn't make any sense, but what was done was done.

He leaned back, closing his eyes. "I guess I'll have to buy new plants when I get out."

Gran scoffed. "I'll buy your first one."

-.-.-.-

"This is your office?" Izuku asked, stepping into what could only be described a miniature forest. Every inch was covered in green.

Toshinori smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yes. I love plants."

"They look really well cared for!" Izuku agreed. He petted the soft petals of the amaryllis.

Toshinori beamed. He moved a small bonsai off the chair. "Thank you. Now, come Midoriya my boy. Have a tea. We much to discuss."

-.-.-.-

"Was it enough?" Toshinori asked. It was a flashback from the past. Once again, he was staring up at white ceilings, surrounded by beeping machines. Only this time, it was arguably worse. The world knew the truth. The last of the embers were now gone. But there was always a silver lining.

"Yes, you did good," Gran said. "Sensei is locked up. He won't be escaping."

"And Shigaraki?" Toshinori asked.

"Can't find him," Gran said gruffly. "But he'll show up soon."

There was a knock on his room door. Izuku tentatively stuck his head. "Ah, can I come in?" he asked sheepishly.

"I'm surprised they let you through the door," Gran said.

"Detective Tsukauchi was outside," Izuku said. He placed a small pot of iris on the Toshinori's bedside. "I hope you feel soon. I got you a potted version since you said you love taking of plants?" He trailed off, blushing a light red.

"Thank you, my boy," Toshinori said. "It'll go lovely with the rest."

"About that…" Gran said, interrupting.

"Again?" Toshinori asked. Surely it couldn't have happened again...

Gran coughed. "I already checked. All of your plants are dead."

"This has happened before?" Izuku asked, bewildered.

"I honestly don't know what to make of it," Toshinori said. He hadn't been in the hospital for even more than 24 hours at this time. They didn't have time to die!

"This time you can get yourself a bigger house and plant an actual garden," Gran said. "One where it won't die if you're aren't there to immediately tend to it."

A garden did sound nice…

-.-.-.-

Toshinori hummed as he tended to his newest plant, a potted magnolia. He had seen it on sale on the way to school and picked up. It would go nicely with Izuku's iris.

"Another one, Yagi?" Aizawa asked. "What happened to all the ones that were at your desk previously?"

"Ah," Toshinori said, sheepish. "For some reason, they all died shortly after my fight with Sensei. They did that five years ago too. I never figured out why. It's a little sad, but I'll just have to rebuild my garden of plants again."

Aizawa stood up a little straighter, a curious gleam in his eyes. "Is that so? Hmm. Someone once told me that if your plants are dying even when you are caring for them correctly, it means they're absorbing curses and hurts caused by your enemies. Perhaps they're the reason why your injuries didn't kill you." He waved goodbye to Toshinori, leaving him alone in the staff room.

Toshinori blinked, looking at the magnolia. Could it…? His plants did start dying oddly once he became a Pro-Hero.

He petted the leaf of the magnolia. "If that's true, then you each have my thank you."

* * *

Based off this prompt:

once a lady told me that if my plants are dying even when I'm caring for them correctly, it means they're absorbing the curses my enemies are casting upon me. so now when my plants randomly die, I wonder if they died protecting me.

 **Hanakotoba Meanings**

Lavender - faithful

Sunflower - Radiance/Respect

Amaryllis - Shy

Iris - Good news/loyalty

Magnolia - Love For Nature

No meaning but, Rosemary - Good for clarity and focus

Please leave a review on your way out.


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